Paul and His Beast

“Entertaining, accessible, and beautifully lucid look at what it is like to have autism.” —Kirkus Review

Sixth-grader Paul Stephens, desperate to stay in a normal school, must tame his “Beast”— the bizarre autistic behaviors that make other students recoil and mock.

But how can he tame his Beast when it protects him from a world where looking into another face can send his head spinning, voices crash into his ears like a bombardment, and trying to respond to the simplest question can lock up his limbs? Sometimes the Beast is his only refuge.

In his struggle, Paul learns to deal with a boy even more autistic than he is, to function as a successful part of an academic team of “normals,” and to speak up for the Beast because he has learned that it means speaking up for himself.

Sarah’s latest release is a middle grade novel, but of general interest to anyone who wishes to gain understanding into the world of autism: family, educators and advocates.

$13.95 plus S&H

• Reader’s Guide, group activities, information about combatting bullying and a Q&A with the author.
• Common Core Standards-aligned Teacher’s Guide includes free lesson plans and activities based on the book Paul and His Beast for Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6
• Read chapter 1!
• 202 pages, illustrated

• Draws readers into the world of autism — a world best described by Sarah Stup, a writer with autism — so they can better understand how people with autism experience the world and why they act and react the way they do.
• Bridges the gap of misunderstanding and fear that exists between young people with and without autism. Disability bullying is rampant, particularly within this age group. Indeed, those with disabilities are three times more likely to be victims of bullying than their non-disabled peers.
• Breaks the mold! According to a study in the journal of “Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities,” characters with disabilities in young people’s books tend to be supporting players only; they are used to boost the emotional growth of major characters while they themselves go unchanged.